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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · march · fork · hide · court · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. court — of a king
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. press — to push
  10. march — the month
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. tear — to rip
  14. march — music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com